During Barack Obama’s presidency, schools were required to allow students to use the restroom of their identifying gender; however, the Trump administration removed these federal guidelines due to lawsuits and confusions. Under the Obama administration, students who transitioned from male to female could use the female bathrooms, and students who transitioned from female to male could use the male bathrooms, but that has since been repealed. One gender-inclusive bathroom or stall in a school can cause transgender or non-binary students to feel more safe and secure in their learning environments.

These students to do not identify as male or female face a multitude of harassments for using their assigned gender’s bathroom, and these new gender-inclusive bathrooms can make them feel more secure and comfortable during the school day and around other classmates.

The fear of harassment can keep students from using the restrooms the entirety of the school day, which can lead to multiple health issues such as urinary tract infections (UTI’s) and dehydration. These new gender-inclusive stalls and bathrooms can create a comfortable environment for these students and decrease their bathroom-related stress.

This is a small step for transgender students, but it is still beneficial to their overall health physically and mentally. Under Obama’s administration, many transgender students faced harassment every day for using the bathroom that they identify as, and under the Trump administration, these new guidelines have increased harassment for these students.

These new bathrooms and stalls may seem like a small step for transgender awareness in public schools, but under the Trump administration, this is important. Transgender students and non-binary students have to use the restrooms like the rest of us because we are all human, and these bathroom laws have become outrageously complicated. Bathrooms are bathrooms, and everyone needs to use them comfortably.

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